Chapter 13 Section 2Europe Plunges Into WarObjective: Examine military actions on the Western & Eastern fronts

Vocabulary: Central Powers, Allies, Western Front, Schlieffen Plan, Trench Warfare, & Eastern Front

Setting the Stage• By 1914, Europe was divided

into two rival camps• On one side was the Triple

Entente – Great Britain, France, & Russia

• On the other side was Triple Alliance – Germany, Austria-Hungary, & Italy

• As a result of alliances, nearly all of Europe soon joined what would be the largest, most destructive war the world had ever seen

The Great War Begins• Russia expected Germany

to join Austria & they mobilized along the German border

• On August 1st, the German government declared war on Russia

• Russia rushed to France for support

• Two days later, Germany declared war on France & shortly after, Great Britain declared war on German

Nations Take Sides• Central Powers – nations of

Germany & Austria-Hungary• Allies – nations of Great

Britain, France, & Russia, along with a few other nations

• Italy switched sides to the allies accusing their former allies for unjustly starting a war

• In 1914, millions of soldiers marched happily off to battle, convinced the war would be short

A Bloody Stalemate•Western Front – region

in Northern France•Germany developed a

battle strategy to fight a war on two fronts

•Schlieffen Plan – Germany’s military plan which German troops would rapidly defeat France & move east to attack Russia

The Conflict Grinds Along• Germany swept into

France & days away from taking over Paris

• 600 taxicabs rushed soldiers from Paris to the Western Front, causing the Germans to retreat

• The German’s Schlieffen Plan was in ruins after retreating Paris & Russia already began their invasion

• The Western Front turned into stalemate between Germany & France

War in the Trenches• Trench Warfare – form of

warfare in which opposing armies fight each other from trenches dug in the battle field

• Life in the trenches was pure misery with rats, no fresh food, & very little sleep

• Space between the trenches was known as “no man’s land”

• New tools of war included machine guns, poison gas, armored tanks, & larger artillery

• Thousands died in the trenches to only gain a few inches of land

The Battle on the Eastern Front•Eastern Front – region

along the German-Russian border

•Russia forces launched an attack on both Germany & Austria

•Germans were able to crush the Russians while the Russians were originally victorious against the Austrians

Russia Struggles•Russia wasn’t industrialized

unlike Western Europe•Russia’s army was short on

food, guns, ammunition, clothes, boots, & blankets

•The army was able to rebuilt its ranks because of the country’s enormous population

•Even though Germany was winning the Eastern Front they couldn’t put its full focus on the Western Front